Purpose: Community capacity at the organizational level is evident when organizations can perform their functions effectively and efficiently (Chaskin, Brown, Venkatesh, & Vidal, 2001). In order to develop this capacity some organizations have found it necessary to develop collaborative alliances (Bailey & Koney, 2000) to increase access to resources, address problems that a single agency cannot solve alone, and expand their scope of political power and influence. Although working with diverse organization may benefit the overall effort, issues related to organizational capacity and motivation are likely to emerge. This paper will report findings from a two-phase study that examined factors that motivated diverse organizations to participate in a community collaborative that was established to improve service delivery to homeless persons.

Method: During phase one, a cross-sectional survey was administered to organizational representatives (N = 44) who are active participants in the partnership to identify relationships between organizational characteristics and scaled ratings of individual items that assessed relationships with partners, organizational structure, benefits and drawbacks of participation, involvement of key stakeholders, internal and external challenges, and communication (Weiss, Anderson, & Lasker, 2002) Follow-up surveys with nonrespondents (N = 11) and key informant interviews (N = 4) in the second phase explored themes related to organization affiliation with the broker organization, benefits and drawbacks of participation, relationships with partners, challenges facing the partnership, and strategies to involve key stakeholders.

Results: The findings identified partner perceptions of relationships with the other participating organizations and benefits of participation as factors that influence participation. Standard multiple regression analysis revealed perception of organizational benefits as a motivating factor for participation, specifically the number of benefits experienced by the organization (p < .05) and the importance of those benefits (p < .05). Qualitative analysis revealed that for some small organizations and congregations, issues related to organizational capacity influenced participation. Although organizations may be interested in participating in the collaborative process, issues related to time, staffing, and understanding their role in the overall system of care limited participation.

Implications for Practice: The findings indicate that perceptions of relationships with other partners, benefits obtained from participating, and organizational capacity are factors that influence participation in collaborative partnerships. In this study, organizational partners came to the collaborative effort with different skill/knowledge sets and levels of commitment, motivation, and time. The findings suggest the need for models of collaboration that reflect the varying degrees of organizational capacity and connectedness among partners.

References

Bailey, D. & Koney, K .M. (2000). Strategic alliances among health and human services organizations: From affiliations to consolidations. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Chaskin, R. J., Brown, P., Venkatesh, S., & Vidal, A. (2001). Building community capacity. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

Weiss, E. S., Anderson, R. M., & Lasker, R. D. (2002). Making the most of collaboration: exploring the relationship between partnership synergy and partnership functioning. Health Education and Behavior, 29, 683-698.